(a) Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a device and a method for controlling a cold start of a fuel cell system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device and a method for controlling a cold start of a fuel cell system capable of increasing a fuel cell load for reducing a cold start time using a kinetic energy storage method for a rotor of a motor for driving a fuel cell system.
(b) Background Art
In a hydrogen fuel cell system, cold start performance during the winter season (e.g., during substantially cold weather) may be difficult. Methods in the related art have been developed for rapidly thawing pure water within a stack using a heater, for using an anti-freezing liquid for a fuel cell stack as cooling water, and the like.
Despite the methods developed for securing cold start performance, when the fuel cell system is left in substantially low-temperature environment such as below zero temperatures, a temperature of the fuel cell stack equipped in the fuel cell system decreases below zero degrees, thus causing the fuel cell stack to potentially be frozen. To rapidly increase the temperature of the stack during the cold start of the fuel cell system, it is efficient that the fuel cell stack outputs a substantial current to use heat generated by a unique chemical reaction of the stack. Accordingly, a method has been developed for outputting an output current of the stack by maximally using various loads equipped within a vehicle during the cold start, and a motor has been used as a heating element to increase a current load of a stack.
In other words, a technology of contributing to the increase of the temperature of the stack by transferring heat from a motor and an inverter to the stack by using phase resistance heating of a driving motor as a current load of the stack but performing a control to interrupt a generation of a motor torque so as not to prevent the motor from being driven has been developed. Accordingly, various technologies for enhancing the cold start of the fuel cell system have been proposed, but a more effective method has been continuously required.
The above information disclosed in this section is merely for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.